That Crooked Smile of Yours
by 70ftofhair
Summary: Seems like Twister's not the only one head over heels in love. Sequel to 'Getting the Girl.'


That Crooked Smile of Yours

Summary: Seems like Twister's not the only one head over heels in love. Sequel to 'Getting the Girl.'

Disclaimer: I wish... I don't own the song either. :(

Author's Note: I realized Twister's story is only part of the series (One and Only) that isn't based on a song. Whoops, but every time I hear this (recently) I've been thinking Reggie and Twister. So here's Reggie's story.

A lot happens in this one. It jumps everywhere too. It's sooooo long in my opinion. XD

* * *

_**You're stuck on me**__**and my laughing eyes.**__**  
**__**I can't pretend though**__**I try to hide,  
I like you**__**, **__**I like you.**_

_Spring 2011_

"I don't like you." I said distastefully to my boyfriend Twister Rodriguez. He looked over to me and smirked. We were sitting in the living room of his parent's house. His cousin, Tina, 24, was getting married in four hours, and Twister had invited me to be his date. Not only that, but since I started going out with Twister I became somewhat a part of the Rodriguez family. One of Twister's cousins, one of Tina's bridesmaids, was pregnant and could no longer fit into her dress, so I was volunteered to take her place. Twister volunteered me. Now I was stuck wearing a hideous orange dress that showed too much leg and cleavage. Now, I didn't mind being a part of the wedding. I just would have liked it better if I didn't have to wear his repulsive dress.

Otto wasn't coming because he was training in Mt. Baldy. Sam and Sherry didn't know this cousin, so they weren't invited. We drove down from LA for the weekend to Ocean Shores last night. I stayed in the Rodriguez's household because Noelani, Raymundo, and Tito decided to take a trip to Hawaii. Clio was here too for the wedding. She took a break from her training. She stayed in a hotel. She too was a bridesmaid, but unlike me, her figure was more feminine than mine. Her hips were bigger than mine as were her boobs. She had a small waist. Whereas I had small boobs and hips, the dress made me look rather awkward.

"You don't dislike me." He looked around waiting for his family.

"Yes, I do." Twister stuck his tongue at me. He pulled his arm around me and kissed my cheek. I tried not to smile at his small gesture of affection, but I really couldn't help it. I smiled quickly and immediately frowned.

"Gross, lay off the PDA, Maurice." We glanced up to see Lars and some unknown girl standing before us. She was blonde and had green eyes. She was wearing a light blue dress. It was sleeveless and cut off mid thigh.

"Hello there Lorenzo." Twister said.

"Wait a minute, your real name's Lorenzo?" I asked laughing. All these years, and I can't believe I'm just finding out Lars' real name. What a bust.

"Ere tan muerto, Maurico. (You are so dead.)"

"Ooooh, estoy tan asustada. ¿Qué vas a hacer? Whomp mí? (Ooooh, I'm so scared. What are you gonna do? Whomp me?)" Twister snickered. Now, I couldn't understand Spanish for I took Japanese in high school, but I could tell that he was mocking his older brother.

"Bust!" The siblings yelled at each other. Twister stood up and quickly bumped fists with each other. Then Twister resumed sitting next to me with his arms around me.

"What you doing here Lars?" He snaked his arm around his date.

"Ma wanted to meet Chelle before the wedding."

"Oh, right. You must be Chelle. I'm Twister." My boy stood up and extended his arm out. She nodded and shook his hand.

"Nice to meet you."

"This is my girlfriend, Reggie." I stood up too and extended my arm out too. She smiled at me.

"Hi."

"Nice to meet you Chelle." We stood in silence. Mrs. Rodriguez walked into the room followed by her husband. The two of them greeted Lars and Chelle, while Twister and I watched. After the introduction, we contemplated on rides. The church was only three miles away, but we decided that we'd all take separate cars. Twister and I left because we both had to be early. I obviously needed to be there because I was a part of the wedding, and Twister offered to document the whole thing. Twister turned into the church parking lot, found a spot and parked. We quickly exited the car and entered the foyer of the church. He was still wearing his hat.

"Twist, you gonna wear your hat during the ceremony?"

"Nah, but I can keep it on 'til it starts." I shook my head.

"Loser." He stuck his tongue out at me.

"Mmk, I gotta set up the camera, you go meet Tina and Clio." Twister kissed my forehead and squeezed my hand before running into the church. I watched him leave before going to the room where the bride and her bridesmaids reside. I knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" Clio sang.

"It's Reggie," I sang back. The door swung open and I was welcomed with a giant hug from Clio, more like a glomp. I hugged her back.

"Hola amiga!" Tina called out. She looked absolutely lovely in her simple white dress. It was clean sleeveless, and floor length. It showed a nice generous amount of cleavage. Her make-up was light, but it didn't matter. She was a natural beauty. Think Eva Longoria, but hotter. Clio was really pretty too. The girls in the Rodriguez family were just really pretty. Actually, everyone in their family is pretty. I mean Lars was pretty handsome, but Twister. He's one hot piece of man. And I met Taylor Lautner in person a year or two back.

"Can you guys believe I'm getting married?" Tina put her hands on her cheeks and looked up at me Clio. I was the tallest at 5'8", Clio's 5'6", and the bride stood at 5'2". Though I was usually the tallest girl, it was never a huge problem because Twister was 6'4".

"I know, it's so exciting!" Clio squealed.

"But what's with the rush, hermana? Embarazada?" A small girl said in the corner. That was Lucille, Tina's 15 year old sister also her maid-of-honor. She was the same height as Tina. In fact, she was like Tina's twin. The only difference was Tina's hair, while at the moment was tied into a tight bun on the top of her head while Lucy's hair was down to the side curled and tied into a side pony tail.

"What! I am not pregnant! We're in love!" Clio and I laughed. Lucy smirked.

"You sure? You've only known Don for like a year, and dated him a lot less. Though, I guess you been sleeping since you met him." Tina's face turned red. Oh man bust.

"So Reggie, how's life living with Maurice?" Tina asked absolutely flustered. Twister and I moved in together before the start of our sophomore year. We also lived with another couple named James and Denise who we befriended a year earlier.

"It's good. We're thinking of getting a puppy."

"No!" Clio and Tina yelled.

"You know what happened with his last puppy!" I laughed. I remembered.

"Oh come on guys, that was over ten years ago. He's grown up a since then."

"Only in height." Tina joked.

"Oh come, he's more mature now and he's really smart too! Remember, he did graduate high school a year early."

"He will always be little Maurice who lost his puppy to me." Clio said.

"Or the idiot who tried to surf down a mountain." Tina laughed.

"Or the guy who always wears that hat." Lucille said referring to her older sister.

"Well, to me, he'll always be the cute naïve little boy next door I fell in love with." I rubbed my chin.

"But don't tell him that."

_**I think I felt my heart skip a beat,**__**  
**__**I'm standing here and I can hardly breathe,  
You got me, yeah**__**you got me.**_

"Hello pretty lady, may I have this dance?" I looked up at Twister who had his hand out for me. I was sitting at the main table just watching the other guest dance with the bride of the groom. The ceremony had gone off without a hitch and now it was mid reception.

"Shouldn't you be filming something?" He shook his head.

"I think I can spare my girl one dance." He pulled me up from my seat and led me to the dance floor. He put one on my hip and the other on my hand. We swayed to the music. He twirled me around and dipped me.

"Twister!" I giggled as he dipped me close to the floor.

"You're gonna drop me!" He smirked.

"I'll never let you fall, love." He kissed me lightly on the lips before pulling me up. He continued to spin me around. Then he suddenly stopped and looked behind him. There was Maria, the flower girl tugging on his pant leg. She was four years old. She was another one of Twister's cousins and Little Scotty's younger half-sister. Her mother is Filipino while her father is Mexican; she also spoken Tagalog as well as Spanish and English. She barely reached his hips.

"Hi kuya Maurice." She said shyly.

"Hello Maria." He said cheerfully. She smiled up at him.

"Can I dance with you?" She played with hands looking up at him. Oh god, how adorable. He looked at me.

"I don't know, this pretty lady might get jealous." She turned to me.

"Pwease, ate Reggie, may I dance with kuya?" She is so cute.

"Of course you can Maria." I let go of him. He picked her up, keeping one arm under her bottom to hold her up and the other hand in hers.

"Thank you Ate." She giggled as Twister spun her around. That had to be the cutest thing I've ever seen. I walked off the dance floor not taking my eyes off of the two cousins. Maria had a giant grin plaster onto her face.

"Well, ain't that just the cutest thing I've ever seen." I looked at the boy next to me. It was Lars. Over the years, he hadn't grown as tall as Twister, but then again Twist towered over everyone. He was about 5'11, only a few inches taller than me.

"Hi Lorenzo."

"Man, I'm going to whomp Maurice." I chuckled.

"Where's Chelle?"

"She went to the bano." I nodded.

"Gosh, Maria's such a cutie pie." I said as I observed the two laughing and with each other.

"She sure loves her kuya Maurice." He mocked.

"What does that mean?"

"What?"

"'Kuya'? Is that Spanish for something?"

"Nah, it's Filipino, you know, cause Maria's mom is Filipino. It means older brother/male cousin. It's a term for respect." He informed me.

"Wow. That's cool. Does she call you that too?" He shook his head.

"Nah, only Maurice and Scotty. She doesn't even call Clio, Tina, or anyone 'Ate'."

"'Ate?' What does that mean? She called me that earlier."

"Whoa really?" He rubbed his chin.

"'Ate' means older sister/female cousin. It's basically 'kuya' for girls. Wow, Maria must really like you."

"Lars?" We turned behind us to see Chelle.

"Hey babe." Lars wrapped his arms around her shoulders.

"I wanna dance." She ordered.

"Fine." He said slightly annoyed. He gave me a small wave.

"Talk to you later Rocket girl."

"Later." I watched as Chelle and Lars made their way through the dance floor. I also noted that Tina and her new husband were slowing dancing together, whispering sweet nothings into each other's ears. Clio was dancing with the best man laughing at some joke he said. Lucille was swaying to the music with some young man I haven't seen before. Twister's parents were spinning each other around. Then I noticed that Maria and Twister were gone. I wonder where they went. I looked around, but couldn't see them. The band died down.

"Will all the single/unmarried women make their way to the dance floor?" The lead singer said. Clio immediately appeared at my side.

"Come on Reg! It's time to catch the bouquet." She tried to pull me to go with her, but I quickly snapped my hand back.

"Uh, I'll pass." She cocked an eyebrow.

"Why?" She inquired confused.

"Because I'm not feeling it." She shrugged her shoulders and let me be." She, along with many of Twister's other female cousins gathered in a circle. Tina, now located on the stage where the band was, beamed to the crowd.

"Alright ladies! Time for some lucky girl to catch the bouquet! You guys ready?" Everyone in the circle cheered at the lead singer. I chuckled. This was gonna be interesting. Then I noticed an abnormally tall toddler. It was Maria on Twister's shoulders. I'm not sure if I've ever seen anything cuter. I saw Clio laughing and pushing on Twister's shoulder. Maria just had the biggest smile on her face. All the others looked amused, even Lucille. Tina then turned around.

"Ready?" More cheering.

"3… 2… 1!" Tina threw the flowers. Everyone jumped including Twister and Maria. Maria was close to catching it, but the bouquet was overshot. It flew past the mob of girls and loanded right on my chest. I quickly grabbed it so it wouldn't hit the ground. My eyes widen in shock.

"Looks like we have a lucky winner, and it looks like it's one of the bridesmaids! Let's all give her a round of applause." Everyone started clapping. I looked at Tina, then Clio, then everyone. They all gave me a very amused look. Lars flashed me a cheeky grin. Mr. Rodriguez, Twister's dad, gave me a thumb up. Then I turned my gaze to Maria and Twister. Maria was clapping like crazy. She gave me the biggest grin. Then I focused on Twister. He looked just as surprised as me. Then he snapped out of it and walked towards me. With Maria still on his shoulders he approached me. He kissed me on the cheek.

"Man, I guess that means I better propose soon." I laughed.

"Who says I'm marrying you?" I asked sarcastically. He faked a pain look.

"But ate Reggie has to married kuya Maurice!" Maria commanded me. I broke out into a smile.

"Okay Maria, whatever you say."

* * *

It was 5AM, long after the wedding reception ended. Twister's parents spend the night at the hotel while we were gonna spend the night at their house. Twister and I decided that we didn't really want to go back to the house yet. So we went to the beach. We had some, ahem, _quality time_ under the pier. (If you catch my drift.) But that was when we first got here, now the two of us had changed into t-shirts and shorts. We laid on a giant beach towel holding each other and kissing.

"So—we're—not—going—back—to—house—just—yeah—right?" Twist asked me in between kisses.

"Nah, let's just wait for the sun to rise." I pulled back as he kissed my neck. We continued to make-out for a little bit before we ran out of breath. He shifted his body so he was lying on his back. I put my head on his chest and listen to his steady heart beat.

"You know, your heart used to race super fast when I touched you." I reminisced to when we first starting dating. On our first official date, he was extremely sweaty and incoherent. It was actually funny.

"It still does."

"Nope, I don't feel it."

"But I do when you touch me and when you kiss me." He stroked my hair.

"But it starts racing the most when you leave me."

"Oh really? Can't wait to get rid of me?" I joked. He smiled softly.

"Because, I get scared that you'll never come back." I stared up at him silently.

"That's my biggest fear." He whispered softy.

"I won't ever leave you." I replied quietly. I nuzzled my face into his neck lovingly.

"You caught the bouquet today."

"I did." We remained in silence. He kissed my forehead.

"So how about it?"

"How about what?"

"How about we get married?"

"If this is your way of proposing, you better be more romantic."

"I will." He laced his fingers into mine.

"But in all seriousness, are we gonna be married one day?"

"Yeah. You're the one I wanna spend the rest of my life with."

"Good because I want to be with you for the rest of my life too."

_**The way you take my hand is just so sweet.**__**  
**__**And that crooked smile of yours**__**,**__**  
**__**it knocks me off my feet**_

_Summer 2012_

I'm waiting nervously by the phone. I had my cell phone lying on the table before me. Today was the day X Sports Magazine was going to call me to say if I had the job or not. I had already been offered a job at Cosmopolitan as a staff writer. It was a good offer and it would pay more than the X sports job, but it's not what I'm interested in. I wanted to write articles about all the extreme sports I've been doing for years. I wanted to write about surfing, skate boarding, snowboarding, and all that fun stuff. I've wanted to write for them for years. I want to be editor-in-chief. Afterwards, recreating the Zine will be a lot easier.

Still, I had to get the job first.

"Reggie, you okay?" I tensed and looked up to my boyfriend.

"Yeah. Just a little nervous." He lifted me up and placed me on his lap.

"What are you doing?"

"Don't be." He said ignoring my question. I scrunched my face in annoyance. Doesn't he know how important this is?

"Twist."

"Come on Reg, what's there to be worried about?" EVERYTHING! EVERYTHING! EVERYTHING!

"I don't know. I just don't think I got it." I admit.

"You did, you know why?"

"Enlighten me."

"Because you're amazing." I sighed. Leave it to Twister's naïve nature to leave me even more nervous.

"You really think so?"

"I know so." I dropped my head into my hands and waited.

"I'll be your dream, I'll be your wish, I'll be your fantasy. I'll be your hope, I'll be your love, I'll be everything that you'll need. I love you more with every breath, Truly, Madly, Deeply do." Twister began singing my favorite song.

"What are you doing?" He shook his head and kept singing.

"I will be strong, I will be faithful 'cause I'm counting on a new beginning, a reason for living, a deeper meaning yeah…" I laid my head against his chest. At least his voice improved since he was nine. He was actually pretty good.

"I want to stand with you on a mountain; I wanna bathe with you in the sea; I want to lay like this forever until the sky falls down on me." I closed my eyes and continued to listen. My mom used to sing this to me when I was younger. After she died, whenever I'd get upset, I would play it over and it would relax me. It would soothe my stress.

"And when the sky is shining on the brightly velvet sky, I'll make a wish and send it to the heavens that'll make you wanna cry. The tears of joy for all the pleasure in the certainty, that we're surrounded b the comfort and the protection of highest power, in the lonely hours. The tears devour you." He strokes my hair as I hug him firmly.

"I want to stand with you on a mountain; I wanna bathe with you in the seal I want to lay like this forever until the sky falls down on me." He pauses to kiss my forehead.

"Oh can you see it baby? You don't have to close your eyes, cause it's standing right before you, all that you need will surely come. I'll be your dream; I'll be your wish; I'll be your fantasy; I'll be your—" he was interrupted by the sound of my phone vibrating. I hesitantly picked up my phone not answering it yet. Ryan Bradley, it read, the name of my potential new boss.

"Go on." Twister nudged me. I took a deep breath before answering it.

"Hello Mr. Bradley."

"Regina Rocket, how are you this fine day!" He practically yelled in my ear. I held the phone a few inches from my head. Twist grabbed it out of my hand and put it on speaker. He kissed my cheek for support.

"I'm good. And you?"

"I am fantastic!" There was a silence.

"So you're probably wondering about the job."

"Yes sir." Twister using his free hand intertwined his fingers into mine. He brought my hand up to his face and kissed it tenderly.

"Well, your interviews were outstanding, your mock articles were very well-written, and your writing style is brilliant. You will make a wonderful addition to the X Sports family." He paused.

"So long story short: You got the job." He kept talking but I wasn't listening. I got it. I Got It. I GOT IT. I squeezed Twister's hand tightly and kissed him on the lips.

"—work starts for you on Monday, August 12th at 8AM sharp. We'll see you there."

"Alright, thank you Mr. Bradley, you won't regret this!" I hung up the phone and jumped out of my seat.

"I got the job! I got the job! I got the job!" I chanted. Twister watched in amusement. I danced around the room a little bit before feeling Twister lifting me up bridal style.

"Congratulations baby." He kissed me on the lips. As he pulled away, he twirled us around. Unfortunately, my foot hit a wall, hard.

"Ouch! Twist!"

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" He said putting me down on the couch. He ran to the kitchen and grabbed ice. I rubbed the aching area.

"Oh man, Reg, I'm so sorry." He said as he returned with the ice. He placed the bag of ice on the wrong foot. I shook my head, picked up the ice, and placed it on the injured area.

"Hehe, my bad." Twist said nervously. I smacked him on the head. He gave me a smile. I always loved his smile. It was slightly crooked. His smile was always big, but his lip on the right side was slightly bigger than his left. His front two teeth were out of place because he never wore his retainers. He was really adorable that boy. He elevated my foot, quickly moved the ice and gave my foot a kiss.

"Kissing my boo-boo?" I tease. He gave me wink. I stuck my tongue out.

"Gosh, Twist."

"What?"

"You're hopeless."

"What? Why?"

"Nevermind." I leaned forward, my face only inches from him.

"You're cute." I murmured. He scrunched up his face.

"But you're cuter." I smiled before pressing my lips into his.

"Cheeseball."

_**Oh, I just can't get enough.**__**  
**__**How much do I need to fill me up?**__**  
**__**It feels so good it must be love.**__**  
**__**It's everything that I've been dreaming of.**_

_Fall 2015_

"I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you." He played with my fingers. He twisted our wedding ring and engagement ring, also changing the finger it was on. We were lying in bed spooning. I was the big spoon despite the height difference while he laid close in front of me. I giggle at his silly antics. I love being in bed with him. Whether we're having the sex or just cuddling like this, I love the closeness of him.

"How much do you love me?" I asked playfully. He kissed each one of my fingers.

"So much, I'll give up food." I smiled as I prepared to drop a huge bomb at him.

"Good because I have news for you."

"Oh no, you're not leaving me are you?" He panicked. I shook my head.

"I'm pregnant." I dropped the bomb. He relaxed.

"Oh." That's it?

"That's cool." Really? That's it? I was sort of expecting a huge reaction.

"If it's a girl we should name her Patrice or Reese, 'cause it rhymes with Maurice. Also Reese Witherspoon is my favorite actress. But maybe her middle name should be Regina as a tribute to you darling." Really not the reaction I was ready for.

"But if it's a boy, his name should me Maurice Francisco Ricardo Julio Esteban Jr. I know, it's long, but he could live with it. I have… though everyone calls me Twister. Well not everyone. Our UCLA friends call me Maurice, which I really don't mind. Not to mention my fam calls me Maurice too. We could give our son a cool nickname like Tornado or Spinner. " Really? Where's my husband? I expected him to be freaking out.

"Honey?"

"Yeah dear?"

"Don't take this the wrong way, but why are you so calm?" he turned around and faced me.

"I'm happy." He kissed my forehead.

"Doesn't really answer my question."

"But I am. We've been married for a year already. I can't wait to have a family." I stuck my tongue out. How could I forget, he wanted eight kids.

"So, you're not mad?"

"Why would I be mad?"

"I don't know, because I didn't ask you if I could get pregnant." That sounded really dumb.

"I can't be mad at that. I'm happy. I'm really excited."

"Five years ago, you completely freaked out."

"That was five years ago. We were just dating then. We're happily married now."

"Okay."

"You should take a pregnancy test!" he said excitedly.

"What? Why?"

"I never seen one. It'll be cool." I shook my head. Typical.

"Okay." I started to laugh really hard. Twister gave me a perplexed look, but laughed along with me.

_**I give up, I give in, I let go, let's begin,**__**  
**__**'Cause no matter what I do,**__**  
**__**Oh, my heart is filled with you.**_

_Summer 2016_

"I hate you! I fuckin' hate you! Get out! I'm never sleeping with you again!" Why the fuck did I agree to a natural birth? A natural birth for twins? Only a crazy woman would do this!

"Come on baby, you're doing great." Twister kissed my sweaty head. I glared at him, the pain was unbearable.

"I. Hate. You." I spat at him. I constricted my death grip on his hand. He just wiped my sweat and cooed me encouragingly.

"I see the head, just a few more pushes." Then another fuckin' baby.

"You got it babe." He is too calm. I hate him. Die Twister die.

"I hate you! Ahhhhh!" I screamed as I pushed. The cries of a baby filled the room.

"It's a girl." I caught my breath looking over my legs. Dr. Carla held up a bloody baby. She was wailing like a maniac and she was covered in blood and goo. She was beautiful.

"Just one more baby." The doctor, aka SATAN, smiled at me. Evil bitch. I groaned in agony.

* * *

I awoke to a lot of crying and a lot of white. I was still in the hospital, having giving birth to twins just a few hours ago. What was I thinking having a natural birth? Next child, I'm getting all the drugs I need. I looked for the source of crying. I noticed a tired-looking husband of mine getting up. He picked up the crying twins. Though we had both girls, it turned out they were fraternal. The baby he picked up was baby Danielle Reese. I could tell by her red hair. Her skin was bronze like mine. Twister came up with her name: Danielle, after my mother, and Reese, because it rhymed with Maurice. Our other baby girl, Tara Jasmine, had red hair like Twister. She was still soundly asleep in the bed next to her sister.

"Maybe she's hungry?" I think I startled him because he turned around in surprise.

"You're awake."

"Yeah."

"You should be sleeping," he said as he rocked the baby. She still cried.

"I'm fine, give her to me." He gently handed me our child. I opened my hospital gown. How is this supposed to work? I mean, should I shove my breast into her face? Hmm… maybe I should just—she did it! She latched onto my nipple. She did it all by herself. I have such a smart child.

"She's amazing."

"Just like her mother." I smiled at him.

"Go get Tara." He shook his head.

"No, she's sleeping, let's let her be." I stroked Dani's head as she ate.

"I'm scared." I whispered.

"What do you mean?" I sighed.

"What if I'm a terrible mother?" Twister sat on the bed and cupped my face.

"Reg, you're going to be a great mother."

"How could you know?"

"I don't."

"That's reassuring." I replied sarcastically.

"Reggie, you are the greatest woman I know. You can do anything. You could do this?"

"Why are you so awesome?" he smirked.

"Because I have the prettiest wife and the most beautiful daughters in the world." I laughed.

"I love you." He kissed my forehead. We heard another cry and Twister went up to fetch Tara. He rocked her from side to side, and her cries were calming down. He sat on the bed and started to sing.

"I don't wanna close my eyes. I don't want fall asleep because I miss you and I don't wanna miss a thing. 'Cause eve when I dream of you, the sweetest thing I'll never do. I still miss you babe and I don't wanna miss a thing." I grinned as I watched my two babies falling asleep to their father's voice.

"I love it when you sing." I whisper.

"Then I'll serenade you every night for the rest of our lives."

"Should I get that in writing?" I joked. We laugh softly and he continued to sing to our girls.

_**I can't imagine what it'd be like,**__**  
**__**Living each day in this life,  
Without you, without you.**_

_Fall 2010_

I was walking to class when my phone started vibrating. It was Sherry. I checked my watch, I still have a good 15 minutes before my class. I could spare a conversation. I pushed the call button.

"Hey Sher."

"Reggie, come home now." She said frantically.

"What? I have class in fifteen minutes."

"Reg, you're a good student, ditch class, and come home." Her voice cracked as if she was crying.

"Sherry, what's wrong?"

"It's Trish…" I stop getting hit in the process.

"What happened?"

"She got hit by a car… while on her bike. It's not good Reg. She's been in the hospital for an hour now. We can't find Otto at all. She needs us."

"I'll be there in a few hours." I turn around and run back to the library. I knew Twister would be there because he didn't have class until another forty-five minutes. Since we lived off campus, he didn't see the point of just dropping me off and coming back. So he'd occupy himself in the library.

"Okay good, Sam just jumped on a flight." I nodded realized she couldn't see me

"Okay, keep me updated until I get there." We mutter goodbyes. I texted my friend Justine in my class and told her I wasn't going to come and to get the homework for me. I ran to the library quickly scanning for my boyfriend. When I located him, I sprinted to him.

"Twist!" He looked at me, reading my desperate expression.

"What's wrong babe?"

"We need to go home." Tears began forming in my eyes.

"What why? It's Thursday."

"Trish." I panted slowly.

"What? What's wrong with Trish?" Here come the tears.

"I… she… got hit by a car… I think she's dying." I sobbed the last word. I fell to the floor and started to cry on his lap. He ran his fingers through my hair.

"Alright, let's go." He hastily pushed his things into his backpack. He pulled me up and walked me to the car. Since it was 10AM, the traffic from LA wasn't too bad. We made it to the hospital from UCLA in a record 90 minutes. I spend most of the car ride crying, but when I stopped I didn't say anything. Twister knew not to say anything when I'm feeling like this. When I'm feeling completely lost, overwhelmed and everything is all wrong. Last time I felt like this was when Noelani and Raymundo almost got a divorce due to a huge misunderstanding.

Sherry had kept updating me, but nothing was new. The only thing that was giving me hope was Trish was in a stable condition. But still, according to Sherry, she was still fading in and out. And she still couldn't find Otto. She said that Raymundo, Tito, and Noelani had been searching everywhere, but they couldn't find him at all.

"God what is wrong with that bonehead of a brother of mine?" I narrowed my eyes annoyed. They were burning because of the crying I had been doing. Twister pulled me close and stroked my bicep.

"I don't know babe. He's an idiot." I know he didn't mean it, but it was nice to know.

"Damn straight." Sherry met us at the front of the hospital. She looked no better than I did. She probably just stopped crying. Her eyes were red and puffy. Her nose was running. She's lucky she doesn't wear make-up at all.

"Hey." I said. Seeing her just made me want to cry.

"Hi." She said inaudibly. I pulled her into a hug while she started to cry into my shoulder. I held her tightly as she bawled into my shirt, soaking it with her tears. I felt Twister's hand on the small of my back. The three of us stayed there for a ten minutes before Sherry picked herself up. She wiped her eyes with her shirt.

"Come on let's go."

* * *

Sam arrived less than 30 minutes ago. Twister was the only one who went to get him. Afterwards, instead of heading straight here, they searched for Otto. I sat with Sherry and Trish's mom. Raymundo, Noelani, and Tito came to comfort Ms. Tagle. But I think my father came for my sake too. Twister and I went to see Trish a few hours ago. It was one of the scariest things I've ever seen in my life. She was deathly pale and hooked up to several different kinds of machines.

It was like mom all over again. I was five when she died of a surfing accident. We were at the secret spot. She was surfing this awesome swell, but in the battle of mom versus the ocean, the ocean won. She wiped out and started drowning. Raymundo got to her, but by then she already lost tons of oxygen. We all piled into car as soon as he got her out. We didn't pack of boards just left them there and hoped that no one would steal them. My father drove frantically towards the hospital as Tito trying to keep my mom conscious in the back. I sat in the front with a 3 year-old Otto sitting on my lap. He didn't cry, but I don't think he understood what was happening.

Once we got to the hospital, the doctors took her into a room and did God knows what to her. A few hours later, she was in a coma. We went to see her. She was deathly pale, hooked up to all these machine. My dad set me on her bed and I held her hand. Otto clung on to Raymundo, not waiting to see mom like this. He was sobbing like crazy. I think that's the only memory I have of Otto crying so much. I begged my mom to be okay and not to die.

She passed on an hour later.

Now I'm back in the same hospital, almost twenty years later, awaiting the fate of one of my best friends. Sure I had the guys, but Trish was different. Sam is my best, best friend. I was even his best man. Otto's my blood; of course I love him like no other. Twister is the love of my life. I'm gonna marry him one day. Then there was Clio. Even though we both are feminist, we have different views. She thinks woman should be empowered by using our femaleness to our advantage; I think woman should be empowered by kicking the men's ass in everything. Yet we've been very close ever since we were 10. Then there was Sherry. She was the queen of gossip and so outgoing. I think she was the most popular of all of us. (Clio didn't count because she lived in San Diego, therefore went to a different school.) Everyone liked her and our senior year, she was voted Homecoming Queen, but despite being the girl everyone liked, she was completely down-to-earth. She has a completely broken family life, but no one really knows the full story, except me, Trish and Sam at least. She was sweet and she encouraged me to try things with Twister.

And then there was Trish. She was my first girl friend. I met her a year after my mom died. Tito just took me to try surfing again. I was scared after my mom died to go out in the ocean. We went waiting for a wave, when I first spotted Trish. She was ripping it up for a six year old. She did things Otto couldn't even do until he turned pro. Thinking back, I'm surprise, she didn't go pro considering she was the only person that could give Rocket Boy a run for his money. But when I saw her, she inspired me to go out and try again. Without Tito's consent, I paddled out right behind her and rode the wave right behind her. Instead of getting mad for dropping in with her, she introduced herself to me.

From that day on, we became best friends. We'd surf together and play volleyball. Then when we got older, she started shopping together and sleepovers. We'd talk about guys, mostly Trent because in high school they were pretty hot and heavy. I dated a few guys, but all throughout high school Trish insisted I date Twister. She was the first one to ever tell me that my crush was obvious. She was my longest friend. I don't want to lose her.0

I sat with Sherry. She was on my shoulder crying. I was all out of tears. Two figures rushed into the waiting room. It was my idiot brother that no one could find and Sam. Sam immediately ran to me and hugged me. Then he turned to Sherry and hugged her. She cried into the crook of his neck. Otto rush past us to Trish's mother. The two of them talked for a little bit before heading off with Trish's doctor to her room. Trish's mom stayed and Noelani went to comfort her. I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned around to see my boy. He stood there with a small white teddy bear.

"I found it in the gift shop. I thought that maybe… I don't know… It might ease your pain or something?" Leave it to my boy to do something sweet like this. He sat down on the chair I was in and pulled me onto his lap where I started to cry again into his chest.

"You okay babe?" He asked after a while.

"No."

"She'll be fine." I looked at him in disbelief.

"Do you really believe that?" He shrugged.

"Yes." He said confidently.

"Why?"

"Someone has too." He took my hand and chastely kissed it.

"You wanna go home now?" I shook my head gripping the soft bear in my hands.

"I wanna stay. Is that okay?" he nodded. I pulled him close and rested my legs on his. I placed my head into the crook of his neck. He wrapped his arm around my waist and held me close. I closed my eyes and drifted. He started to sing. He always does whenever I'm sad or worried or nervous.

"When I see your face, there's not a thing that I would change 'cause, you're amazing, just the way you are. And when you smile, the whole world stops for a while 'cause you're amazing, just the way you are." His voice is so smooth. It instant relaxed me as I drifted off to sleep.

* * *

"Reg, wake up." I arose from Twister to see Otto kneeling in front of me. He was a mess. I could tell he had been crying.

"Rocket boy?"

"She's gone."

_**One look from you I know you understand,**__**  
**__**This mess we're in**__**, **__**you know is just so out of hand.**_

It had been over a week since Trish's death. We held the funeral the Saturday after. Trish's mom and Otto both were devastated. According to Sherry, who had to organize the whole funeral because of the state of the two closest to Trish, her mom wouldn't leave her room or eat. Sherry had to force her to eat and bathe.

Otto wasn't any better. He blamed himself. He told us everything that happened: the other girl, the fight. He was an absolute wreck. He didn't stop crying the day when she died. He stayed at Raymundo's place because he didn't want to go back to his apartment. He dropped out of his next five competitions. Every sport magazine had caught wind of the story, but thankfully didn't find out about the girl. That girl, Otto found her number in his bathroom, kept silent to respect Trish. It didn't help him though. He used to read articles about himself to feel better about things, but now all the magazine were writing about him and Trish.

During the funeral, Trish's mom, Otto, Sherry, Trent, and I said speeches. All of their speeches were very heartwarming and touching. Twister stood with me when it was my turn. I stared into the crowd. A lot of people came. Trish's parents, though divorced, sat together in the front. Along with Sherry and Sam, who sat next to Otto. There were two empty seats where Twist and I sat. In the second row, Trent and Clio sat together, apparently still dating. Then Raymundo, Noelani, Tito, and Paula sat with the Rodriguez which included Lars. Old high school friends sat in the back. The church was filled. I looked back at Twister nervously.

"You'll do fine." He mouthed. He placed his hand on my back and sent chills down my spine. I took a deep breath.

"I've known Trish since we were six." I looked around the church. "We met about a year after my mom died. She was the first girl friend I ever had. And in a lot of ways, she reminded me of my mother. She was the most caring person I've ever met, and she has a really good sense of humor. She always knew how to make me laugh even when I didn't want to." My voice cracked as I held in my tears. "She was the most amazing surfer. She is the only person I've ever met that could beat my brother out in the ocean. She probably was the only person in the world who brought my thick head brother down to earth." People laughed, even Otto. "She was the only person that he truly loved more than himself. I hate to admit, but I think he loved her more than he loved me." I sighed. "But it was okay, because I love Trish. And I've always wanted her to be a part of my family. I guess now that can't happen. Regardless, Trish was an amazing person. As much as I'm going to miss her, she's always gonna be here. In my heart, in my brother's, in your heart and everywhere we go. She'll always be with us." I stepped back. Twister's arms were wide open for me. I melted into his body and I heard someone else take the stand. The funeral ended very quickly after that. We all said our final goodbyes and buried the lost girl.

At the end, it was just the gang plus Sherry, Trent and Clio. Trish's parents left because they couldn't bear the thought they buried their own before themselves. Otto kneeled in front of her grave, silently sobbing into his hands. I've never seen Rocket boy so down. I glanced at Twister who just stared at the boy in front of him, his best bro. His best bro was crying and he couldn't do anything to help him. I nudged him encouraging him to go to Otto. Twist knelt down by the boy and wrapped his arm around him. Without any objections, Otto let Twister touch him. Bromance at its finest. Clio came up next to me and held my hand. Trent held her other hand. Sherry and Sam held onto each other.

"It'll be okay man." I heard Twister soothing Otto. It will be. One day.

"Hey." Twister knocked on my door. Otto and I spent the night at Raymundo's place. Twister decided to stay with own parents. We were about to leave. I was sitting on my bed looking through a scrapbook of Trish, Sherry, and me that they made for my 21st birthday. There were so many pictures of the three of us over the past few years.

"Hi." I looked up from my album. He sat on the bed with me and picked up the book from my lap and looked through it.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled.

"Why? It's not your fault."

"I know, but I said she'll be okay. I was obviously wrong."

"No, no, no, Twist. It's okay. It's just…" We stayed quiet.

"It reminded you of your mom didn't it?" He said breaking the silence.

"How'd you know?"

"Remember, I was there when you got home after you guys came back from the hospital."

"You were four."

"That doesn't mean I couldn't remember."

"You don't even remember your own puppy."

"I had a puppy?" He asked dumbfound. He shook his head.

"That's not the point. The fact is, I remember how devastated you were afterwards."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah. That's… that's when I knew."

"Knew what?"

"That I wanted to be the one to protect you." I stared at him stunned.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't… I didn't like that look on your face when I came to play with you and Otto that day. I mean, you looked so sad and helpless. There was this story that my mom used to tell me and Lars before bed. I think she made it up herself, but basically, it was about a girl who was always sad. She would cry all day, and sleep at night, but she'd have these terrible nightmares, like monsters and stuff. So when she'd wake up, she'd get scared and cry. So they locked her in a tower in the middle of a dying river. So she'd cry out her window and provide more water for the river. One day she met a prince, and he saved her and became her protector. That's what I wanted to be."

"Twist, that didn't make any sense."

"My mom told the story better. The point is I want to protect you, because you're a princess."

"I'm not a princess." I said slightly offended.

"Maybe not to you, but you've always been one to me." He gave me a sweet smile. His smile made just made everything better.

"What will I do without you?" I asked leaning forward.

"Have every guy in the world fall in love with you." He murmured before innocently kissing me. I smiled into the kiss and pulled back.

"Sometimes, I feel like I don't deserve you."

"You do, you deserve everything you want. I love you."

_**Oh, I just can't get enough,**__**  
**__**How much do I need to fill me up?**__**  
**__**It feels so good it must be love.**__**  
**__**It's everything that I've been dreaming of.**_

_Summer 2013_

"Wakie wakie!" I felt someone shaking me from my slumber.

"Wha? Twist?" I rubbed my eyes pulling the blanket over my head.

"Nope!" I knew that voice anywhere. It was Clio. I glanced at the clock, 5AM; it was way too early for this.

"Go away, I'm sleeping." She pulled the covers from me. I silently thanked god that Twist and I dressed up after fooling around last night. Nonetheless, I was cold. I got a pillow and threw it at her.

"He watched the equipment! Your boyfriend will kill you if you break the camera!"

"Otto? Get out, leave me alone!" I'm really cranky in the morning.

"Get up. We have a surprise for you."

"My birthday isn't for another three weeks."

"Nope. Come on."

"No, go away!" I felt Otto pulling me up. I opened my eyes and glared at them. Otto gave Clio the camera.

"Why do you guys even have the Twistcam?"

"3.0." The said in unison.

"Whatever, why do you have it? Does Twist know you have it?"

"Yes and no. Now come on!" Otto lifted me on to his shoulder fireman style.

"Hey!" I pounded on his back, but he wouldn't relent.

"Sorry Rocket Girl!" He dragged me to the car while Clio filmed the whole thing. He put me in the backseat of his Range Rover.

"Here." Clio tossed a plastic Easter egg to me. I stared at it then her.

"Well open it!"

"Ugh, fine." I opened the box and a note and two kisses chocolates dropped from the egg. I opened one kiss and popped it into my mouth.

'Clue #1:  
Yum, yum, yum,  
We eat here when done is the fun.  
Ask the ancient Hawaiians for a fish taco,  
they're so yum-so.'

"I'm guessing go to the Shack?" They shrugged.

"We don't know. Twister said just to drive wherever you say so. Oh and to videotape you." I rolled my eyes again as Clio zoomed the camera closer to my face.

"This is dumb."

"Hey, it was Twister's idea!" Otto smiled.

"Twister's dumb." I said irritated.

"Hey, he's your boyfriend."

"Why is he doing this?"

"No idea." Clio replied buckling her seat belt. I shook my head. Otto drove us to the Shack. I ignored Clio and Otto's conversation as I tried to think why Twister was doing this. We got into a small fight last night, but if anything, I think we only did it for the make-up sex. The make-up sex is always the best sex. Except when there's a full moon, then beach sex is awesome… But seriously, why is he doing this? Otto parked the car behind the Shack and we went to the front. Since it was pretty early, the Shack wasn't opened yet. But Tito was already there.

"Hello lil' Hawaiian cuzs!" Tito greeted.

"Hey Tito!" Otto smiled. Clio happily nodded.

"Hi Tito, Twister said to order a…fish taco." I said in disgust. Only Twist and Sam likes them.

"Ah yes." Tito went to the back. I glanced at the convincing duo.

"Will you guys please tell me what's going on?"

"Nope," they said together.

"Pretty please?"

"Whoa… Mother said please!" Otto scoffed.

"I know! I'm so shock too!" Bunch of unhelpful brats.

"Fuck you." I sneered at them.

"Whoa there, lil' Hawaiian cuz, no need to use nasty words." Tito returned. He placed the taco in front of me. I examined it, checking if there was some sort of letter or clue to help me figure out what to do.

"Something wrong cuz?" I looked up to Tito.

"Is there a note or something that Twister left?"

"Yes, right here, but he said not to give it to you until after you eat the taco." He pulled out the note from his shirt pocket. Then he pointed at the taco. I grunted. Damn you Twister. Clio and Otto busted out laughing.

"Ugh… fine." I begrudgingly took one bite from the taco. Eh, not so bad, I guess. I ate it slowly. Then when I finished, I commanded Otto to fetch me a mint. He pulled a tin of mints from his pocket. I popped a few in my mouth and turned back to Tito.

"Can I have the note now?" He nodded and handed me the note.

'Clue #1:  
Rose are red,  
Flowers you hate,  
Go to the place we tend to mate.'

Place we mate… Our bed? In LA? In Los Angeles? As in a one and a half hour drive? Two if there's traffic?

"Read us the note!" Clio asked. I shook my head.

"He wants us to go to LA."

"What? Are you serious? Is that why he gave me two tanks worth of gas money?" Otto complained.

"I don't know. What the hell is he doing this for?"

"We don't know. Like we said, he told Otto, 'drive', and me, 'tape.'" Clio whined.

"Oh well, off to LA we go." Otto faked happiness as he grabbed his keys. Clio turned the camera off for a moment. I thanked Tito for the taco and we head off to LA. I once again ignored Otto and Clio's conversation while I contemplated the reasons for this scavenger hunt. It wasn't my birthday. It wasn't his birthday. It was our anniversary. It wasn't the anniversary of the first time we had sex. I couldn't think of anything unless…

"Is Twister proposing?" I asked.

"We don't know." They said harshly in unison.

"That was a fast response." I smirked.

"No." They said together again just as fast.

"He is, isn't he?" They remained silent. I'm right. I just know it. They stayed silent for about 15 minutes then resumed conversation without me. Otto drove for another hour until we reached me and Twist's apartment building. Otto stopped the car and I led them up the stairs to my apartment building. They opened the door (No idea where they got the key; I left my key back at Otto's house).

I somewhat expected the room to be covered in a million flowers, however the room was just as empty as we left it. I rolled my eyes and proceeded to the room. I opened the bedroom door and saw the white bear that Twister gave me three years ago when Trish died on the bed with another note. With the bear, there was a heart-shaped box of chocolate and dress underneath. I placed the bear aside, ate a piece of chocolate, and looked at the dress. I pulled it up to my chest. It was very cute. I pulled out the note and read it out loud.

'Clue 3:  
Hope you like that pretty white dress.  
I bought it myself, I must confess.  
Please wear it now and one last clue before you go,  
Go to the lifeguard tower in Santa Monica beach where we… you know ;)'

I laughed. I know where. I went to the conjoining bathroom where I put the dress on and eyed myself in the mirror. Man, my boy's got taste. If he wasn't such an awesome boyfriend, I would've thought he was gay. After admiring myself for a bit, I combed my bed-hair and washed my face. Then I walked out of the room to find the other two. As I enter the kitchen where they were raiding the fridge, Clio sized me up and down.

"Lovely dress." She gave me a thumb up. I smiled.

"Twister chose it." Her face widen in shock.

"Really?"

"Man, how gay." Otto laughed. Clio smacked him over the head.

"Idiota, ve morir." She cursed in Spanish. No idea what she said, but I laughed anyways.

"Give me the keys, I'll drive to the next place." Before Otto could complain, Clio took his keys and tossed it to me. I let them eat and then we left. We piled into the car where Otto whipped out the camera. Clio read all the clues for the video.

"Man Regina, you and Maurice sure love to have sex." She pointed out.

"Yeah… they're a public couple…" Otto grunted in disgust.

"Whatever." I pulled into the parking lot near the beach and parked. I scanned for lifeguard tower 5. Quickly locating it, I ran as fast I could to it. Clio and Otto followed me, keeping up. Damn professional athletes. I saw Terri, the lifeguard who usually tends to this particular tower.

"Regina! Wondering when you'd get here." She said as I approached her. She handed me a one last note.

'Clue 4:  
Hmmm… Hmmm… Where shall you go?  
Meet at the place where fourteen years ago,  
You saved me from Heaven.  
Meet me there at half past seven.'

"Saved me from Heaven?" I looked at my brother.

"I don't know." I looked down and sighed.

"Take me back to your house Otto." I threw him the keys. In the car I glanced at the clock. It was almost 9:30. Only ten more hours to figure out where this so-called place is.

_**I give up, I give in, I let go, let's begin,**__**  
**__**'Cause no matter what I do,**__**  
**__**Oh, my heart is filled with you.**_

_The place where you saved me from heaven… Saved me from heaven… Heaven… Fourteen years ago…_ What the hell does that mean? What happened fourteen years ago? I was twelve and he was ten. He was an idiot. Then again, he still is, but he's my idiot. Fourteen years ago was the time when he tried to surf down a mountain, he befriended a seal, believe in the Menehune, sent in footage of him and Otto breaking into a Zero-gravity while it was shut down, and a lot of other dumb shit. I mean there was the time where we all went channel surfing, but he and Otto decided to keep going at it while Sam and I watched. Otto broke his board and Twister almost died. If it wasn't for me he would be…

"Lightbulb." I ran out of the bedroom into Otto's kitchen. There Otto, Clio, Sam and Sherry were enjoying some beers.

"Twister wants me to him at the channel, doesn't here?" I asked the four.

"Uh… sure?" Sherry said.

"I mean, 'Meet at the place where you saved me from Heaven'? that obvious means meet him where I saved his life all those years ago."

"That could mean anywhere though. You saved him from millions of other things before." Otto retorted.

"I saved his butt from getting caught, but that was the only time I saved him from death." I'm not sure if that made sense, but whatever.

"How am I supposed to get there tonight?" They shrugged.

"We're driving you," Clio said tugging on Otto's shirt.

"What?" She elbowed him. "Oh, I guess we are."

"Alright. Hand me a beer." They gave me a questioning look.

"Hey, I don't have to get ready 'til six, what do you expect me to do in three hours?" Sam handed me a beer and Otto twisted off the cap for me.

"Alright sis. We're just discussing the surf open this weekend and what kind of moves Clio and I should try."

* * *

Otto dropped me off at the harbor where I saved Twister all those years ago. He gave me a smirk and left along with Clio. I walked to the area where Lt. Tyce caught us. He wasn't here. I sighed and leaned against the railing. I was chilly tonight.

"Damn," I whispered to myself. I was so sure this was the place. I looked around, and then noticed a light on the rocks. It looked like a table. I kicked off my heels and held them in my hands. Then I crawled under the railing. I watched my step as I made my way to the table. As I walked closer, I noticed Twister without his signature hat. Conveniently, it was lying on the table. He smiled brightly at me.

"Hey Honey."

"Maurice." I saw him flinched. Though all our college friends called him that and he told me to call him that, he still felt weird when I called him by his real name.

"Twist." He relaxed. He got up and gave me a quick kiss.

"You probably know what I'm gonna do." I nodded.

"Oh well, you waited this long, let's have dinner." On the plates he set for us was a neat peanut butter and jelly sandwich. It was cut neatly in four triangles. He made his best dish. He couldn't cook for shit. He couldn't do everything I guess.

"Nice cuisine," I joked. He smiled meekly at me.

"Sorry, I tried to cook, but I almost burnt Lars' kitchen down." I giggled.

"How is your brother?"

"He's good, but he and Chelle broke up."

"Oh what a shame, poor baby Lance." I thought about their one year old. Poor thing.

"I know, but Lars said it was evitable." Then there was silence.

"Lars told me I was a lucky."

"Really, why?" he took a deep breath.

"Because I actually found the one girl that I want to spend the rest of my life with."

"Oh Twist."

"I love you Reg. I know I say it a lot, but that's because I mean it. And I want to spend the rest of my life with you. So, will you spend the rest of your life with me?" He pulled out a little black velvet box. He opened it and revealed a white gold ring with three diamonds. The diamond in the middle was larger than the other too.

"Why you be my wife?" I think I could cry, but instead I laughed.

"Did I say something stupid?" he looked confused. I cover my mouth, trying not to laugh. He pulled my hands from my face and caressed them in his hands.

"No, no you didn't." I stuck my tongue out at him.

"But yes, I'll be your wife." He pumped his fist in the air.

"Yes!" he cheered. Then he stood up and kissed me on the lips. Holy crap, we're engaged.

_**I hope we always feel this way**__**, **__**I know we will,**__**  
**__**And in my heart I know that**__**you'll always stay.**_

_January 3, 2015_

"I am getting married." I said slowly to my reflection. Noelani stood behind me as she fixed my veil. She smiled at me. After a year and a half long engagement, today was the day. Since we pretty much lived on Rocket Beach all our lives, we decided it was the best place to get married. Twist's parents wanted us to get married at their church, but I'm not Catholic. They were sort of against a beach wedding, but after a while, they realized it what we wanted and let us be. We were at Rocket Boards getting ready. In the room with me were Noelani, Clio, Sherry, Denise, Tina, and little Maria. Denise and her husband James were me and Twist's college roommates. Though we didn't live together anymore, we were still really good friends. Maria had practically begged to be our flower girl, though even if she didn't she would still be our girl. The wedding was going to start in 30 minutes.

"We know. It's about time." Clio said from behind me. I looked at myself in the mirror. My hair was a single curl in a long ponytail off to the side. My purple hair flowed over my right shoulder. I glanced down at my dress. It had taken me weeks to find the perfect dress. Noelani, Sherry, Clio and I had been to over a dozen stores before finding the one I'm wearing today. It was very simple with and elaborate bejeweled halter top. It was very past my feet and dragged on the ground a bit. I really loved it.

"I'll say!" Sherry agreed. I rubbed my temples. Sherry and Clio were both my maids-of-honor. Technically Sherry was a matron-of honor since she was already married. Twister had issues between choosing Otto or Lars to be his best man, so we decided to do two best men and maids-of-honor, and two groomsmen and bridesmaids.

"I am getting married." I repeated. Noelani finished up my veil.

"Trust me honey, we've all been there." Noelani reassured me.

"Except Clio, she and Otto haven't tied the knot yet." Sherry laughed. It's true. With the exception of Maria, Clio was the only one who wasn't married or engaged. Noelani and ray have been married for almost fifteen years now, Sherry and Tina both got married in the same year, and Denise married James a few months ago.

"Shut up. We just started dating."

"Yeah, finally." Sherry joked. Clio stuck her tongue out.

"Well, at least one Rodriguez is finally getting married." Tina said. She fixed my curl.

"Yeah! Ate Reggie is finally marrying Kuya Maurice!" Maria smiled brightly at me. I patted her on her head.

"I am getting married." I repeated.

"Are you getting cold feet?" Denise asked.

"No, no, I've wanted to marry Twister since I was sixteen. I just can't believe it's finally happening." I smiled. I couldn't lie, I was really excited. I've been waiting to get married since I was six. At sixteen, I realized I falling for Twister, I decided that I was going to marry him.

"Aw, that sooooo sweet." Clio cooed as she pinched my cheek. I crumpled up my face.

"Shut up." She and Sherry laughed. I joined them, giggling. There was a knock on the door and Raymundo popped his head out of the door. He had his eyes covered.

"Everyone decent?" Noelani laughed.

"Yes dear, come on in." Raymundo opened the door and walked in. He met Noelani in a hug and pecked her lips.

"Ten more minutes girls, you better get outside." I noticed the four girls adjusting their dresses. I chose a sea green, floor-length, one strapped dress for them. It was slimming, and if they wanted, they could shorten it and wear it again.

"Ate!" I looked at the eight year old.

"Yes Maria?" I crouched down to meet her eye-level. She grinned vibrantly at me.

"I'm happy you're finally going to be part of the family." She kissed my cheek and ran to Tina. She held her hand out and the girl latched on to her. The two of thing, along with Denise, gave me a smile and walked out. Clio and Sherry both gave me hugs.

"Don't be so worried," Clio said.

"Yeah Rocket girl, this is going to be easy for you." Sherry pinched my arm.

"Thanks guys." I hugged them again and then they walked out of the door leaving me with Noelani and Raymundo.

"My little girl, all grown up."

"Aw dad." I noticed he was tearing up a bit. He wiped his face and Noelani gave him a comforting smile. I walked up to him and hugged him. He hugged me back snugly.

"I'll leave you two be." I looked over my father shoulder.

"Thanks Mom." I said. She sighed, placed her hand on her heart, and smiled.

"I love you Reggie." She whispered before walking out. I turned back to my sobbing father who still had a death grip on me.

"Dad." He pulled back, keeping his hands on my shoulders.

"I'm so proud of you Rocket girl."

"Thanks."

"You nervous?"

"A little bit," I admitted. He looked me in the eye.

"Don't be. I've watched you Twister grow up together. That boy has been in love with you since you guys were little. You have nothing to worry about." He smiled encouragingly to me.

"You ready?" I nodded. He put his hand arm out and I took it. He led me outside. Our ceremony was going to be by the life guard tower where Lt. Tyce used to control. Unlike Raymundo and Noelani's ceremony, our ceremony is going to be more formal. Though, we wouldn't be wearing any shoes. I straightened out my dress as Raymundo and I took our spots in the promenade.

"Hey Reg," I looked at my brother staring at me.

"Hey bro." He smiled. Without saying anything, he opened his arms out for me. I leaned forwarded and I hear the music playing. Taking a deep breath, I watched as Twister took his place in the front with Conroy. Believe or not, but the ex-skate park owner was officiating the wedding for us. First, Maria and Lance, Lars' two year old son and the ring bearer walked down the path. Then Tina and Keoni walked down the aisle, followed by Sam and Denise. Then Clio and Lars walked down together, followed by Otto ad Sherry. The music changed as Raymundo and I awaited our turn.

"Let's go hun." I looked up to my father as he pulled me down the aisle. I looked from side to side, everyone was standing. There were cushions on the ground for everyone to sit on. I noticed old high school friends and college friends staring at me. I smiled meekly at Tito and Mummy, Tito's mom. We were almost to the front when I finally looked at my boy. There he was, staring at me in his perfect fitting tux. Gawking, actually. He was lacking his hat, probably hiding inside his jacket. He kept smiling at me. His crooked, goofy smile. That adorable smile that stole my breath away. I smiled back. We made it to the front, my eyes never leaving Twister's. Raymundo murmured something to him and his agreed, not breaking eye contact with me. My father let us be and Conroy muttered something. But we weren't paying attention. We were too lost into each other's eyes. It wasn't until Conroy kicked Twister to pay attention did we tear away from other.

"As I was saying," Conroy said amused at Twister's pain expression.

"Ow," Twister mouthed.

"Maurice, take the ring and repeat after me." Lance walked up to us and held up his pillow. Twister plucked my ring from the cushion.

"I, Maurice Francisco Ricardo Julio Esteban, take thee Regina Hillary Rocket to be my lawfully wedded wife." I laughed at Conroy's accent butchering Twister's real name.

"I, Maurice Francisco Ricardo Julio Esteban," Twister said smoothly. "Take thee Regina Hillary Rocket," I loved the way he said my name. "To be my lawfully wedded wife."

"To have and to hold, through better and through worse, for richer and for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, from this day forward until death do we part. I do."

"To have and to hold, through better and through worse, for richer and for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, from this day forward until death do we part. I do."

"Now slip the ring into her ring finger." Twister nodded as he glided the finger into mine. He raised my hand to his lips and kissed it.

"Now Regina, take the ring and repeat after me." Lance pushed into pillow up and I picked up Twister's ring.

"I, Regina Hillary Rocket, take thee Maurice Francisco Ricardo Julio Esteban to be my lawfully wedded husband."

"I, Regina Hillary Rocket, take thee Maurice Francisco Ricardo Julio Esteban," Twister laughed as I butchered his name. I pouted at him and he winked. "To be my lawfully wedded husband."

"To have and to hold, through better and through worse, for richer and for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, from this day forward until death do we part. I do."

"To have and to hold, through better and through worse, for richer and for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, from this day forward until death do we part. I do."

"Now slip the ring into his finger." I followed Twist's actions and kissed his hand too. I saw his blushed and I smiled.

"Now, by the power invested in me, by the State of California, I now pronounce you man and wife." Everyone cheer. Twister cupped my face and snaked his other hand around my back. I pulled the front of his jacket.

"You may now kiss the bride." Twister twirled me to the side and dipped me before softly planting his lips on mine. As he pulled away he whispered,

"Finally, you're mine." I smiled against his lips.

"Forever."

_**Oh, I just can't get enough.**__**  
**__**How much do I need to fill me up?**__**  
**__**It feels so good it must be love.**__**  
**__**It's everything that I've been dreaming of.**_

_A Few Days Later_

I woke up from my slumber and stretched. I looked for my bed companion. He wasn't in the bed. I quickly scanned the hotel room for him. I noticed the sliding door toward the balcony opened. I grabbed the thin white sheet off the bed and wrapped it around my nude body. I sauntered out the door and saw my husband leaning over the railing. He was staring into the beach. We were on our honeymoon in Spain. We were staying at a nice, small, and quaint hotel. Everyone at the hotel spoke Spanish and barely any English, but it was okay because Twister is bilingual. I walked over to where Twister stood and placed my hand on his ass. He turned back startled, but relaxed when he saw it was me.

"Good morning honey."

"Good morning babe." He kissed my forehead.

"So what's the plan for today?" I asked. Twister had planned the whole trip himself. Truthfully, I didn't even know where we were going until we got to the airport. We made an agreement when we got engaged. I would plan the whole wedding and reception while he planned the honeymoon.

"Nothing big. I was just thinking a nice walk on the beach, then dinner and shopping later tonight."

"Twist, this place is beautiful." I leaned against his. He slid his arm around me and held me close.

"How'd you find it?"

"My parents. They told me they had their second honeymoon here. They said it was the perfect place." I smiled.

"It is perfect." The breeze flew past us. He leaned down to kiss my cheek, but I turned my head and captured his lips in mine. We stood there and kissed. We kissed for a long time. It was perfect: the setting, the view, the breeze. But mostly, he made it all perfect.

_**I give up, I give in, I let go, let's begin,**__**  
**__**'Cause no matter what I do,**__**  
**__**Oh, my heart is filled with you.**_

I love Twister. I've loved him for a long time. He was more than my prince charming or my knight in shining armor. He was the peanut butter to my jelly, the wave to my surf board, the film to my camera, the pen to my paper. He's my best friend and lover, my roommate, and my accomplice. He's my dream and more.

I love his stupid hat that he wears everywhere. I love his camera that he carries around all over the place. I love his 12 freckles spotted all over his face. I love his crooked smile with his crooked teeth. I love his messy hair when his hat is off. I love his big round brown eyes. I love his deep voice. I love it when he speaks Spanish. I love it when he sings to me. I love it when were laying his bed and he serenades in Spanish.

He's caring and sensitive. He knows how to talk me. He could calm me down and relax me. Even when he's mad, he's still a treat. He doesn't yell, not at me at least. He has the patience of an angel. He also knows how to talk, unlike any of my exes, he actually loved to talk. We talked about everything. He loved to talk to me about his problems. Whether or not I could help, he just loved to tell me. We had no secrets. As much as I love him, I trust him even more. He's the one person who knows absolute everything about me.

He's the love of my life. I really love him.

* * *

Author's Note: Whew. Finally done. 14,000+ words later. XD Hope you enjoyed that. I think Twister, whether he's good or not, would love to sing to Reggie. I also gave him the patience of a saint because Reggie is pretty moody. As for the proposal, if you haven't read 'Getting the girl', the dialogue is the same dialogue when Twister asked Reg to be his girl. Just so you know. :) Til next story. It might actually be a chapter story! Whoooooooo. Oh and check out Teenage Moodswings. :)


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